


Hushed echoes

by Shi_no_tamashii



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Justice League - All Media Types, Justice League of America (Comics)
Genre: ASL, About 3k words per chapter, Attempt at Humor, Caring!Superman, Gen, Hair Dyeing, Identity Reveal, Poisoning, References to several B:TAS episodes (more info in the additional notes, Sign Language, Someone's out to kill our Batsy, Whump!Batman, Whump!Bruce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-02-27 12:36:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13248372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_no_tamashii/pseuds/Shi_no_tamashii
Summary: An accident in the watchtower causes Batman to become temporarily deaf. But was the accident really an accident? Probably not. Someone is out to kill Batman, too bad for them that he has caring friends willing to do everything they can to help.Lots of Whump!Bruce.





	1. Chapter 1

The watchtower was quiet. The low hum of what everyone assumed to be the monitors, but was truly not, was the only sound. Batman had tried to explain that the sound was coming from the system unit, but Flash had insisted time and again that the sound was most definitely coming from the monitors. He had tried to prove it by leaning in close to the largest monitor in the room which hung on the wall to hide a hatch where, coincidently, was where the system unit had been placed behind. Batman had resisted the urge to massage his temples, knowing that there was no way to relieve his increasingly worsening headache with his cowl firmly in place. He remembered the smiling faces of Superman and Wonder Woman as he grunted in annoyance.

Allegedly, Green Lantern and Flash had seemingly teamed up, much to the vigilante's dismay. Green Lantern, who had also been in the room at the time, created a green stethoscope and proceeded to hold it up against the same monitor. He held one end of the oversized stethoscope out for Flash to take while he pressed the other end to his ear.

"Yup," GL had muttered. "Yes, definitely the monitor." He stated, smiling at the Flash who was bobbing his head up and down with a smile that would have put the Joker to shame.

Now, Batman was alone on monitor duty. It was noon and Wayne Enterprises was closed for the day, meaning he wasn't in a hurry to get back to earth until it was time to go on patrol. The only one on board was himself and the Martian manhunter. J'onn was a pleasant presence, Batman had long since concluded. The Martian rarely spoke without having been spoken to first. Both appreciated the silence the watchtower offered. Sure Batman had his cave or even the manor, neither were overly noisy, but he would rather hole up in the silence of the watchtower without a butler who made it his mission to get him to relax and eat something every half hour. J'onn merely presented him with coffee every once in a while, never saying a word. Never insisting he should take a break. After all, J'onn knew the world could end in the five minutes of abandoned monitor duty. That was Batman's opinion at least.

Of course. He thought bitterly. He felt betrayed the moment he felt his bladder making its presence known. The coffee was definitely doing its job in helping his kidneys clean out his body. In five minutes the world could end. He looked at the screen in front of him, studying it intently before deciding that emptying his bladder would probably take less than five minutes. He stood up and made for the door. Bruce Wayne's happy-go-lucky voice entered his mind when he took one last glance at the monitors.

 _"You've gone to the bathroom before on monitor duty, Bats."_  Batman knew that imagining his second persona talking to him was a new kind of insane for him, but he didn't care. Even the lonesome bat needed someone to share his views and findings with. It kept him from going completely off his rocker. Most people in Gotham already insisted he belonged in Arkham Asylum anyway. Batman found himself agreeing with his other half and left the monitor room in favour for the restroom at the end of the hall.

Five minutes and the world could end.

Less than five minutes and the implausible could happen.

Said implausible happened to occur. Batman was almost certain adversity was after him; often, it presented itself with a seemingly unquenchable thirst for vengeance. He could imagine it having a face resembling the Joker's. A smile too wide to be sane. A laugh that was too cheerful to be truly happy. The origins of the aforementioned vengeance he had yet to uncover, but that was the least thing on his mind. What was, was the sudden light and ear deafening explosion that greeted him the moment he left the restroom.

Less than five minutes and the most unforeseen thing could happen.

The force of the blast send him flying backwards where he hit the opposite wall. He vaguely registered his head getting too familiar with the wall before he slid down to the floor, leaving a red trail to follow him down where it started to pool underneath him. His ears were ringing and the world was spinning. He tried to follow the room with his eyes, but it was only making him nauseous. He forced his eyes shut, fighting against the spinning of both his head and his stomach. It wasn't until he felt a hand grasping his shoulder that he forced his eyes open. Everything was fuzzy. The ringing in his ears was considerably less, but so was everything else. J'onn was talking to him, but he wouldn't have been able to focus on his words even if he was able to hear him. Apparently, the explosion was louder than he had initially thought.

By now, J'onn was pulling him up with one hand and holding his other hand to his ear where he was undoubtedly trying to reach out to the rest of the league. Once Batman was steady enough on his feet, J'onn led him downstairs towards the med bay where he gladly sat down to try and get the world back into focus. J'onn was talking again, but he could only stare at the manhunter and hope his hearing would return soon. Knowing J'onn would notice the shift, Bruce opened his mind, allowing the Martian access. This earned him a worried frown, but also an understanding nod.

  _"Batman, are you alright?"_ J'onn's voice entered his mind.

 _"I'm fine. My eardrums have been damaged by the blast, it should repair itself soon."_ He answered, leaving out the possible concussion that was making his world go in circles. J'onn nodded curtly before reaching out to him again.

 _"I contacted the rest of the league, they're getting in position to be teleported."_ J'onn told him. Batman felt the need to address the fire currently raging above their heads, but decided against it when he remembered the Martian's phobia. _"May I?"_ J'onn asked, gesturing towards his head. So he had noticed.

 _"No."_ Batman said in what he hoped was a not-open-for-debate voice.

 _"I can feel your headache, it's different from a normal one."_ Bruce watched as J'onn opened one of the drawers where the medication was kept. Weary, Bruce started to get up. He didn't appreciate being drugged so he wasn't going to sit there and watch it happen. _"Don't worry, it's just an aspirin."_ J'onn told him, having sensed Bruce' sudden conjecture aimed at him. Knowing an aspirin would barely take the edge off, he complied for the sake of keeping peace until the fire was out. He had to get to work fast, the league was taking too long for him to just wait it out until the upper half of the watchtower was burned out. His mind started reeling, his past research about fire coming in handy. He build up his mental walls, shutting out J'onn effectively with a visible flinch from the telepath. Having been inside his mind for more than a couple of minutes, J'onn had probably discovered his language abilities and his knowledge of sign language. Being a fast learner, J'onn could have taught it to himself using Bruce' knowledge. Taking the Martian's stubbornness into stride, Bruce quickly ran out of the med bay. J'onn wouldn't have hesitated in trying to communicate his disagreement with Bruce' choices, causing him to leave the room even faster.

First things first. Facts. Without oxygen, no fire. He activated the oxygen supply in his suit and let a built-in mask cover the lower part of his face. He had to get to one of the control rooms upstairs. He was looking around while he ran, unsure when someone would suddenly appear without him knowing. His hearing was what got him through the night most of the time. Without it, he might as well become Catman and try to enjoy the sun as much as the furry animals did. But then again, Catwoman usually spent her time in darkness as well. His concussion was impairing his concentration. His mind was wandering. He growled in frustration, keeping himself from doing it a second time when he couldn't even hear his own voice.

Having rushed up the stairs, skipping three steps at a time, he kicked open the door to one of the smaller control rooms, not caring that it wasn't locked in the first place. He didn't have time to think about trivial matters. Bruce felt genuine relief when he saw the system unit was still working despite the rising temperature. Speaking of temperature, Bruce was starting to sweat and his cowl was itching. Punching in the access code, he quickly navigated through to the main system unit in the monitor room, hoping it had survived.

Again. Adversity. He growled once more when he saw the main system was offline. He had planned to close the oxygen vents on the upper level of the watchtower. He turned around, barely seeing through the thick black smoke when he felt the room cool down. Superman stood in the doorway, blowing the heat and the smoke away. He was creating a path in the process, one Batman took advantage of by sprinting passed the Kryptonian and into the hall where the blazing fire was starting to spread.

"Can you make a hole in the wall?" Batman asked, focusing on his words and the feeling in his throat when his ears failed to pick up the sound again. Focusing on Superman's lips, he could make out his answer,

"I can try, how big?" Clark asked. Batman looked at the flames and then at the hand rail conveniently placed along the wall. He grasped the metal rail and growled out his response,

"Big." Superman nodded and floated up into the air where Bruce saw him brace himself against the inevitable pull the hole will create. He looked down to see Batman in position as well. Looking back up, Bruce watched as Superman fired two precise laser beams from his eyes. Two tiny holes quickly tore open to become one giant hole. Superman's eyes had widened in surprise. The fire had probably damaged the hull enough for him to create holes in the first place, not to mention the strange reaction to his laser beams. Batman, not having anticipated the strength of the pull was lifted off the ground, only stopping mid-flight by his hands holding on tightly. Sure, today was not his day. He didn't hear the ominous groaning of the hand rail, but he did feel it bend outwards and the vibrations going through his arms. He looked up over his shoulder at Superman who was still staring at the hole, watching the fire go out as the oxygen left. A powerful tug at his waist made him aware of another person in the room. Diana was holding the railing with one hand and steadying him with her other hand, bringing him back down. She was holding her breath while making gestures with her head towards the door. He looked at his hands, contemplating whether he should let go or not. Seeing his hesitance, Diana nodded. Her eyes were hard and piercing with determination, he had to trust her.

Even if he wouldn't have let go, the railing choose for him. It tore off of the wall with what he knew would have sounded like a loud clang. He didn't have the time to try and get a hold of Diana so he had to rely on her to catch him in time as his feet were being pulled up again. He watched Superman's cape flapping in a sick desirous yearning to go and savour the bits of oxygen being sucked into the vacuum of space, instead of being caught by the density and lack of wind to bring it to life. Superman, Batman finally discovered, wasn't just staring at the hole. The Kryptonian held a fascinated gaze locked on what only he could perceive. Batman could only try and guess what his super vision must be relaying to him.

Another pull at his waist made him look at Diana who was now flying them towards the door. She had successfully brought Clark out of his staring contest by pulling at his cape, urging him to follow. They reached the reinforced door and quickly opened and shut it with what Bruce imagined was a loud resounding bang in the silence of the hall. The oxygen levels were dangerously low, sending the halls in emergency-mode. Locking the monitor room, the watchtower should start pumping more oxygen into the critical places. Bruce lost his train of thought when he noticed Clark and Diana talking. He turned towards them, pretending to listen while opening up his mind again.

 _"J'onn, where are you?"_ He started, waiting for the telepath to answer.

 _"I am in control room JL1.03."_ He heard. It was nice, the sound of someone else' voice finally meeting him. It wasn't the same, but it had to make do.

 _"I need you to go to the med bay and get me the fast healing compound."_ He instructed. He had created the compound for when one of his teammates suffered from a severe injury. Never had he intended to ever use it on himself, but a Justice League member who couldn't hear wouldn't do. Truth be told, he wouldn't miss stepping out of the Justice League, but Gotham needed him.

 _"It's still untested, are you sure about this? It could not work."_ J'onn warned. A waving hand trying to catch his attention brought him back to reality with a start. He had zoned out again. Only, he wasn't standing in front of Clark and Diana anymore. He was kneeling on the floor, staring at literally nothing while both Superman and Wonder Woman were kneeling in front of him, talking rapidly. He felt dazed and his armour seemed to have gained a few hundred pounds more. He felt his throat working and his mouth moving, but he couldn't even register what he was telling them. It must have been along the lines of "I'm fine.", if their incredulous expressions were anything to go by.

Everything was moving too slow and too fast. He was missing moments, drifting in and out of consciousness without ever progressing anything. He didn't feel the fresh oxygen stopping and the mask being pulled away. But he did feel himself being lifted off of the ground, if only he knew who was holding him. He vaguely heard J'onn in his head, calling him. It sounded urgent. Why was there an alien inside his head? Looking up at the person who was carrying him made him chuckle. Why was there an alien kidnapping him? Said alien looked down at him with a worried frown. Bruce felt himself smiling loopily before he allowed exhaustion to take him.

For both the Kryptonian and Amazon the change went too fast. One moment, Batman had just stood there seemingly brooding while they discussed how they were going to fix the hole. The other moment, Batman's head lowered slowly before his knees buckled. Clark tried to get a response out of him while Diana held him steady before calling his name several times.

" 'm fine." The caped crusader had tried to growl out, but it was a whisper among their frantic shouts. They had heard him though. They shared glances before looking at him with disbelief.

It wasn't until Batman started leaning forward that Clark decided to pick him up and bring him to the med bay. From there on, interesting things started happening. All in all, Batman was mainly unresponsive. Only grunting when he was jostled too harshly in Superman's haste. At one point, Bruce had looked up. He seemed normal enough, making Clark slow down for a second. It didn't last long though. A foreign sound coming from Bruce had him flying faster than ever before through the plain halls. Batman was laughing. And smiling. Had he mentioned he'd heard him laugh?

  


TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only Superman, Wonder Woman and J'onn are aware of Batman's identity. (For now)

It was quiet. It shouldn't be this quiet. He opened his eyes to the surprising sight of Clark and Diana sitting in chairs opposite of each other. That in itself wasn't what had him gaping, it was the fact that they were sharing a book while forming letters with their hands in American sign language. They were trying to have a conversation, Bruce noted. Diana's fluid and well-practiced moves and Clark's clear but hesitant signing had him wondering just how long he'd been out. He settled for watching their conversation for a bit longer before letting them know he was awake. Diana was trying to tell Clark what she'd done today and she was doing fine if it wasn't for the occasional words she spelled out individually. There was a moment of hesitation, making her deflate and reach for the book in Clark's lap. Superman smiled at her encouragingly while she looked for the right page. Bruce saw his eyes glisten from amusement, though they lit up in relief when he caught him looking at them. He felt a smile tug at his lips, but fought against it. Clark lifted his hand and signed quickly,

'Hello.' Bruce was beyond confused. J'onn had probably told them of his current condition, but it should only be temporary. Why were they learning sign language? And what happened with the healing compound?

'How long was I out? Why are you learning sign language?' Bruce signed back, making Diana look up from her search. She hadn't seen Clark's greeting apparently. She smiled at him in greeting, not willing to interrupt them yet. Superman's smile fell, taking on a serious expression. Bruce could already guess where this was going. He saw Superman asking something to which Diana signed,

'17' Bruce just watched them for now.

'Hours.' Clark added looking sheepish for not knowing how to sign simple numbers. 'J ' o n n,' He spelled out, 'took a look out [*at] your head when we [brought] you here.' Bruce tried not to flinch at Clark's confusing and clumsy signing. 'The damage [done] by the…,' He stopped himself there, looking doubtful for a second. He gestured towards his head, tilting it in question.

'Concussion?' Bruce offered. Clark nodded, his expression cloaked with uncertainty, but continued anyway,

'C o n c u s s i o n,' He spelled out, unsure if the signing Bruce did actually meant what he wanted it to mean. Bruce nodded and repeated himself so Clark could learn the word. Superman nodded and continued, 'It was the main reason for [having] lost your hearing.' Throughout their exchange, Diana kept to herself.

'Is it permanent?' Bruce asked at last. When Clark frowned in confusion, Bruce decided to speak out loud. "Is it permanent?" He repeated. He had no idea how his voice sounded, but he was thirsty so he didn't even try to lower his voice into his usual growl. Diana seemed to have figured out the same for she winced and stood from her seat to get him something to drink.

'I don't know.' Superman signed sadly. Diana offered him a bottle of water which he took gratefully. He sat up, vaguely registering the headache that steadily grew worse. It was a surprise he hadn't stormed out of the room yet. He was having trouble processing everything.

_"Two months."_ came J'onn's voice inside his head, making him jump and choke on the water. At Superman's and Diana's alarmed expressions he shook his head slowly while coughing a few times.

"J'onn." He said, knowing it should explain plenty.

_"I just did some research. Loss of hearing caused by concussion usually lasts about two months."_ J'onn told him. Bruce' mind was already starting to work up a plan. He had created a device to help him see when he had lost his sight temporarily to Penguin's antics. He should be able to create a similar device for his hearing.

_"Thank you, J'onn."_ He thanked the Martian whose voice was going to be the only one he'll be hearing for a long time.

_"Keep in mind that the damage may also be irreversible."_ He warned him.

_"I will."_ He said, ending their short conversation. He looked back at his companions before taking another sip of his water, albeit hesitantly. Clark was going through their book with what Bruce identified was a pained expression. From what he could see, it was probably a book of over five hundred pages of sign langue instructions and…well…signs.

'Do the others know?' Bruce asked Diana who was just looking at him, waiting patiently.

'No.' She signed back. 'They were occupied when the accident happened. Flash is currently on monitor duty in the control room.' She signed perfectly. Bruce nodded and stood up. His head didn't agree with him though, shooting him a painful sting up his head which he choose to ignore. He hoped no one noticed the tenseness around his eyes as he tried to fix his composure. 'You should rest.' He saw Diana sign. He shook his head and pushed passed her to get to the bathroom. He really needed to take a shower. He still smelled the fire on him.

_"Flash is headed for the med bay."_ J'onn told him suddenly. Bruce sighed and looked at the mirror, noting his missing costume. He looked down at the dark blue shirt and black sweatpants. These were definitely not his. He frowned before opening the door again.

"Flash is coming. Where is my suit?" He asked out loud. Diana shook her head and handed him a domino mask. Bruce' glare was all the response she got in return.

'The cowl will cause you more pain, it's restricting.' She signed as best as she could with the mask in her hand. She suddenly looked at the door and used her Amazonian speed to pull the mask up over his head and over his eyes. Knowing Flash might be able to hear them, Bruce signed briskly,

'You know that everyone who knows Bruce Wayne would easily see through a simple domino mask. Right?' Flash entered the room at the end of his phrase, but Bruce was half hidden behind the door so even if Flash knew ASL he wouldn't have seen most of what he said.

'Do you prefer glasses instead?' She asked smugly. He saw Clark laughing and Flash' expression contorting into a confused pout. Bruce shot them a batglare and turned away so he could walk back into the bathroom where he slammed the door shut.

It was definitely not like the time he lost his sight. He had felt vulnerable back then, now he was useless. If he wasn't able to give a status rapport through radio communication, what good was he to the league? He turned the hot water tab with one hand while pulling off the domino mask with the other one. He stared at the black mask with something akin to contempt. In fact, he felt a fire raging behind his eyes, wishing he had Superman's laser eyes so he could burn the thing. This really wouldn't do. He would either have to find his cowl or something else to cover his head with. Clark Kent was a clumsy reporter no one would glance twice at, unless he managed to break the same vase twice. Bruce Wayne, however, was a well-known person who loved the cameras _. Everyone_ would be able to recognize him. He sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He had a headache and he was dizzy.

The silence almost made him forget the shower he wanted to take. He turned his attention back towards the running water and undressed quickly.

It was strange. He could still hear the water once he stood underneath the showerhead, it echoed in his mind like a long lost memory trying to break through the obstruction of what prevented his ears from hearing. Though imagining the sound wasn't quite like actually hearing it. It didn't feel like his ears weren't working, it felt more like there was still sound. He just couldn't reach it. When he closed his eyes, he could feel the warmth of the water hitting his body, the droplets dripping from his hair. Wait. That gave him an idea. He knew how to disguise himself without the use of his cowl. Well, without the use of his cowl was pretty exaggerated.

He was already getting dressed five minutes later. He had no way of knowing whether Flash was still in the other room or not, but he decided not to take any chances. He took the domino mask with a scowl, a soundless snarl on his lips. He felt silly with half a mask. With that thought running through his head, he entered the med bay. Luckily, only Clark was present.

'Had a nice shower?' Clark signed with practiced ease. How long had he studied that particular question? Bruce nodded sternly. He went back to the bed to retrieve his water bottle before turning back to Superman.

'I have an idea.' Bruce began. Clark nodded, but didn't sign anything back. 'I might be able to please Diana and hide my identity better at the same time.' He signed. Clark raised a questioning eyebrow at that, a smile tugging at his lips. Bruce knew Clark had probably expected a domino mask wouldn't survive long with the big bad bat.

'What will you need?' Clark asked. He was already signing with more confidence.

"Temporary white hair dye and one of my older cowls." He said out loud, not sure how well Clark would be able to understand him. That and he didn't want him to find out that he had forgotten how to sign the words _"hair dye"_. He had to get that book and refresh his sign language skills. He had used a special fast working white hair cream last time he had gone undercover, he could only hope that Clark wouldn't give him the shampoo kind, he'd have to dye it more than once, probably destroy his hair with bleach first. It would also last much longer than was good for Bruce Wayne.

'On it.' Clark signed before Bruce halted him.

"Wait!" Bruce scowled through the white lenses of the domino mask. "The cream dye, not the shampoo." Clark nodded and left the room. Bruce ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Feeling his voice wasn't quite like hearing it. His lips felt strangely numb. He could only hope it wasn't throwing his articulation off. Bruce looked at the medical computer and decided to get started on that hearing device. If he got the basics, Lucius could do the more complicated stuff. Batman enjoyed complicated, but not while he was holed up in space as Batman with Bruce' face and an Amazonian cowl-thief.

It took Superman exactly thirteen minutes and fifty seconds to return. Bruce caught him saying something until Clark seemed to realize something and formed an 'o' with his mouth before resorting to signing after putting down the plastic bag he'd carried into the infirmary.

'I bought the most expensive dye.' He signed with a strained smile.

"How much did it cost? 400 dollars?" Bruce asked looking around, keeping his fingers on the keyboard. Right. His wallet was at Wayne manor. Clark just stared at him, his jaw slack. Bruce saw him close his mouth when an amused glint lit up his eyes.

'35 dollars.' Bruce watched him laugh soundlessly. He had longed for silence. He had yearned its relief. Yet here he was, wishing he could just hear Clark laugh. He hadn't realized he'd stopped typing until he noted Superman's insecure expression, thinking Bruce was glaring at him in annoyance and probably withheld anger. He couldn't be more wrong though. 'And 29 cents.' He added as if Batman had threatened to decapitate him with kryptonite if he didn't tell him the 'truth' soon.

"I will pay you back when I get to earth." He said seriously with a curt nod. Clark just shook his head and retrieved the bag. He took out the hair dye and gave Bruce the bag where the oldest cowl in Bruce' possession lay. He doubted Alfred would even notice its absence, let alone miss it altogether. It was the very first one with uneven bat-ears. He held the cowl in thought, fighting the cringe the memories of this cowl brought forth. The bat-ears would have to be fixed immediately. He turned away from the computer and started working on cutting and reshaping it with a needle and medical thread, keeping the plastic plates he'd seen some time earlier in mind. He could cut them into shape and make them support the ears.

He suddenly saw a hand wave in front of him, making him turn back towards Superman who was still holding the hair dye. Instead of signing, Clark just pointed at the jar then at Bruce before pointing back towards himself. All this with a bright smile. Bruce rolled his eyes, knowing he was asking to dye Bruce' hair.

"Please." Clark's lips moved.

"Alright." He said at last. The cream Bruce had used before had worked quickly. He had even managed to cover all of his hair without missing a spot. It had washed out completely afterwards in the shower too. While Clark worked his hands through his hair, he started cutting before eventually sewing the cowl back together to form half a mask that would cover his eyes, ears and the back of his head. After fixing the ears to make them smaller, less rounded and keep them from drooping, he felt pretty satisfied. A tap on his shoulder made him turn around.

'Everyone would still know it's Batman.' Clark signed with a smile.

'That's the point.' He signed back. He looked at Superman's white hands and then with a wince at his shoulder. Of course. Why not?

Fortunately for Batman, the hair dye worked just as well as the one he owned. Soon enough he was walking through the Justice League corridors with tousled white hair and half a mask. Well, more like, half of the half of a mask since the original didn't cover the lower part of his face anyway. If Diana wanted him to keep the pressure off of his head, than she had to accept that he wasn't just going to wear a stupid domino mask. Many would have argued that an oversized domino mask with bat-ears wasn't particularly better if one paid attention to the matter of ridiculousness. Bruce just cared for his identity and if bat-ears made him feel better, than everyone who dared speak ill of them would get a batglare. Bruce had taken the domino mask's lenses, but they weren't designed for this cowl and they were cutting into his skin. Overall, they were a minor discomfort, but he had dealt with worse. His only concern were the impressions they were going to leave around his eyes.

Superman was following him around. They had agreed that if someone started talking to Batman, Superman would alert him somehow. Luckily, they didn't cross anyone as they walked through the lower deck of the watchtower. They arrived at his rarely used room where he could finally get one of his own spare shirts. This one fit him well enough, but it just wasn't his. Oh, and he had a white stain on his shoulder thanks to Clark.

"Is someone working on the hole you made?" Batman asked the Kryptonian standing in the doorway.

'You're saying it as if it was my choice.' Superman signed back with an air of feigned offense. Bruce shook his head and took out a black shirt. He caught sight of his black turtleneck and scoffed inwardly. Why was Bruce Wayne's infamous sweater up in the watchtower? He must have grabbed the first few shirts and sweaters he had found.

"So?" He asked quickly changing into his own shirt before Clark started signing his reply.

'Cyborg and GL should be working on it right now.' Bruce nodded, noting Clark's improved signing. _Superimproved_. He corrected himself with a shake of his head. Ignoring Clark's questioning gaze at his unprovoked actions, Batman headed for the control rooms, leaving Superman to shut the door and trail after him.

With the destruction of the original monitor room, J'onn and Flash were sharing the second-biggest monitor room which was only half the size of the actual one. There were less monitors and thus more work in keeping up with the surveillance. Flash being the fasted man alive, should have no problem. However, when Superman and Batman entered the room they were met with a napping Flash while J'onn was focusing on his own work. Not quite trusting his voice, Batman slammed the palm of his hand on the table. Flash shot up with a start, gazing at Batman's black cowl. His eyes drifted upwards and his lenses widened at the white mess he saw.

"How old _are_ you?" Flash asked. Initially, Bruce had been slightly worried he wouldn't be able to read Flash' lips, but he was surprised by how relatively easy it was. The kid's articulation was unusually good of course, this helped a lot. His surprise must have given Flash a false impression for he was now moving his hands up in defence. "Oh lord, I'm so sorry, Bats." He looked around frantically, calculating the distance between his current seat and the door no doubt.

"It's always been like that." Bruce said straightening back up to full height. Superman and J'onn were engaged in a conversation, Bruce saw with a quick glance.

"Wasn't it black an hour ago though?" Flash asked in suspicion. Batman shook his head and folded his arms over his chest, daring him to argue.

"It's _always_ been like that." He repeated, trying to articulate clearly without overdoing it.

_"Your speech is different."_ J'onn told him suddenly. Damn.

_"How much?"_ Bruce asked, turning away from Flash and towards the door. Not letting anyone notice he was having a conversation inside his mind.

_"I don't think Flash noticed, but Superman and I did. You're threading out your words. Without proper practice, this might get worse."_ J'onn told him. Bruce saw Superman following behind him, but he caught up quickly. Superman signed at him, telling him to follow. Which he did.

_"Thank you. I'll pay more attention to it."_ He said. Clark led him towards the conference room where Diana was seated in her chair. She was reading a book until she heard them come in. She eyed him sternly before shaking her head.

'I told you to wear the mask I gave you.' She signed.

'It's basically the same.' He began, 'Only, this one is more me.' He gave her half a smile when he saw her huff and lift up her arms in question towards the gods.

"Hera, why me?" She asked. Bruce' smile grew as he read her lips, seeing Superman's growing look of horror at what he knew would inevitably be Batman's reply.

"Because I'm Batman." He said. He sat down and saw Wonder Woman looking at him with an incredulous grin. He looked at Clark who seated himself at his usual spot at the head of the table with a grin that matched hers.

'He's serious, you know.' He signed towards Diana.

'I don't know, the hair is all wrong.' She signed back playfully.

'How would you know? Batman might be bald for all we know.' Clark replied with a bright smile. Bruce just shook his head, enjoying their little conversation for a moment before slipping out of the room to go check on the upper deck of the watchtower. He'd have to warn Cyborg or GL though. Entering a damaged room consisting of high tech equipment unannounced could lead to some serious issues. Especially since they were floating up in space with constant pressure being regulated through the entire tower. He didn't know how he was going to contact them yet, but a plan was already forming inside his mind.

As if by chance, after rounding a corner he just happened to run into them. Their surprise at seeing him ended up in the three of them having a staring contest before Cyborg spoke up.

"White?" Bruce ignored it, waiting for them to snap out of it. Cyborg turned towards Green Lantern, jabbing him in the arm with his elbow. "No one wins." Batman's eyes narrowed, unsure if he read his lips correctly. Win what? Had they made a bet on the colour of his hair? He was done. He really didn't feel up to this anymore. He was tired and his head was celebrating recent happenings by giving him a splitting headache. Instead of checking on the repairs of the watchtower, he turned away towards the teleportation tubes.

"Gotham needs me." He muttered, not caring about how thready his words might have sounded. In fact, he could detect a slight slur himself. He had felt his tongue tripping on the _"m"_ of _"Gotham_ ". He realized he shouldn't have turned his back on them, but he ignored people all the time. If they were talking to him and he wasn't replying, that meant they really should stop trying. It was standard treatment of the bat after all.

He arrived at the zeta-tubes in less than a minute. The room was chilly and the scent of iron and lead hung strong in the air. He approached the transport monitor and set the coordinates to the batcave where he would be able to contact Lucius to have a look at the plans for the hearing device he'd been working on earlier. Come to think of it, he had saved it on the medical computer. Bruce stopped typing and sighed in frustration. He had two options, either go back and get the plans or start over. A hand on his shoulder made him freeze over. He had to find a way to make people stop sneaking up on him while his hearing was impaired. Clark came into view with a bright smile.

'You can't go yet.' Superman signed. 'We need you here.' He was looking at him with too much joy, it would have made the sun cower away from the sheer brightness in contrast to the already light room.

'What good am I right now?' Batman signed back with upraised eyebrows in question.

'You could tell everyone, or Diana and I could.' Clark suggested.

'No.'

'Alright, but you and Cyborg are the only ones who can help before one of us messes something up.' Superman countered with persistence. He was right. He didn't trust them enough not to blow up the entire tower. Also, he was curious to discover what had made the monitor room blow up in the first place.

'Fine. But I'm going to figure out how this happened, Cyborg can lead the repairs.' He signed, walking back towards the main hall. Again, Clark moved in front of him and started walking backwards so he could sign.

'First the damage rapport. Lantern and Cyborg said you didn't care and just walked off not caring about what they told you about the damage.' Superman signed to which Bruce stopped walking. Superman bumped into the wall anteriorly halting in his backwards stride.

'I didn't know.' Was Batman's reply. Clark smiled sadly and put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. It was becoming an increasingly familiar feeling by now. Superman made him look up with a gesture of his hand so he could read his lips.

"I know." Bruce saw the sincerity of his sympathy, it wasn't exactly making him feel better though. He didn't need anyone's pity. He was Batman!

'The conference room?' Batman asked. Superman nodded and pushed himself off of the wall.

'I'm going to get Flash.' Clark started walking away before stopping himself to turn back to Bruce who was still looking at him. 'Also, I'll relay the entire meeting afterwards if you miss anything.' Clark reassured. Leaguers who zoned out during meetings were usually met with a cold shoulder afterwards if they asked questions that had been addressed during a meeting. Those leaguers, or leaguer, was usually Flash who rarely actually followed the topic they were discussing.

'Okay.' Bruce' hands were getting tired by now. He knew he could and probably should talk out loud, but it felt awkward to be the only one talking. He studied Superman's retreating form for a bit longer before heading back. The lights didn't allow for many shadows to intrude upon the white floors, but Batman always found places within the tower void of light. He had interfered with its lightning system in the past for selfish reasons, but right now. He was content with stepping in and out of the lesser lit parts without killing the lights altogether.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References:
> 
> Batman: TAS - Blind as a bat (the device that helped him see)  
> Batman: TAS - The forgotten (the white hair dye)  
> Batman from 1943 - Lewis Wilson (uneven cowl ears)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING. There will be a transition in whose perspective you're reading from. You'll go from Bruce to Clark but it shouldn't be too noticeable until it happened…I hope.

He zoned out. He had no trouble following the first few minutes, but when people started throwing around suggestions on the repairs he simply gave up. He started staring straight ahead, similar to what he saw J'onn often do when he was meditating or simply listening intently. Batman was lucky to have always been a quiet figure looming in the darkness, waiting to strike when he saw fit, if at all. Had he been a talkative person, everyone would have noticed something was off immediately. But then again, if he'd been anything like Flash, he wouldn't have kept it a secret anyway. His thoughts started wandering until he could hear. Hear the sounds of Gotham howling up at him while people talked. Footsteps started whispering to him, telling him who was running late and who was just enjoying a night out on the dangerous streets of a city filled with crime. He could hear the factories polluting the already toxic air. He could feel it clutching his lungs, sucking the breath out of him while he focused on listening for a certain pair of footsteps. Footsteps that had been haunting him for two decades.

Tap tap tap. Cheap shoes hit the pavement in impatient pacing before coming to a halt. He watched a shadow rise on the wall in front of him.

Tap tap tap. The tapping of something hitting a wall. A hand twitching with nervousness. In the hand, a gun that was being hit against unrelenting bricks. He could feel his heart accelerating. A vain attempt at reducing the anxiety that was soon going to become his fuel for justice. The tapping stopped, followed by a loud gun shot. The only sound remaining was his mother's name on his dying father's lips while he crumpled to the ground in sorrow.

He gasped as he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder, pulling him back towards reality. Had he fallen asleep? He straightened up and met Superman's blue gaze. He was looking at him questioningly while forming the _"ok"_ sign with his other hand. Bruce just nodded in affirmation. Everyone was looking at him, all trying hard their best _not_ to stare. Flash quickly turned his head when he lifted his head up to the others. Cyborg and Lantern were watching him from the corner of their eyes and Diana and J'onn were openly watching him. Shayera, had she been there, would have tried to make small-talk with the person closest to her. That being John. Always John. Like a moth she was attracted to her flame. A hawk guarding her only light, a lantern always bright. Cheesy. Batman thought to himself as he started to get side tracked again. He shook his head and looked back at Superman.

'How's the oxygen up there?' Bruce signed, making Superman uncomfortable for a moment. He knew he'd get bombarded with questions as soon as Batman left the room.

'Cyborg and GL repaired the hole. Oxygen levels should be normal, but check before you enter.' He signed, backing away from Bruce slowly so he could get up. The meeting was far from over, but he knew that Batman wouldn't be able to follow them if they were going to be throwing out one idea after another. Truth be told, Superman had been glad when he saw him slump in his seat. Batman deserved some rest, he could also sense the extra tenseness around his friend lately. The moment his friend relaxed he turned his full attention towards the meeting. He'd been so engrossed in it that he failed to hear Bruce' heart pick up speed. If it hadn't been for J'onn to call out to him and tell him something was wrong, he wouldn't have noticed anything amiss and Batman would have woken up later perhaps even grumpier and more closed off than he already was.

'Tell them if you want.' Batman signed, getting up from his seat to leave the room.

"That was so cool." He heard Flash say when the door closed behind Batman. He turned towards the speedster and put his hands on his sides.

"Excuse me?" He asked, not quite getting what the Flash was referring to. How was any of this situation _"cool"_?

"The signing! Did you guys come up with that yourselves or is it actual American Sign Language?" He was starting to speak almost too fast now.

"Uh…it's-…" He stopped when Flash held up his hand to silence him.

"It's Kryptonian sign language, right?" He asked smugly as if he had just earned himself the title of world's greatest detective.

"N-…" Superman began again before he was halted again.

"That's so cool." Flash whispered loudly in a dreamy voice. "What do you learn first? Kryptonian or is it another language altogether?" His curiosity was genuine, Superman noted with both amusement and annoyance. His first thought was to just say no and leave everyone guessing, but he wasn't the Riddler.

"Batman was on board the watchtower when the explosion took place. He hit his head hard enough to cause damage to his hearing." Superman said, looking around if anyone wanted to say something. Lantern, Cyborg and Flash were just looking at him patiently. "He can read your lips, but if you want to talk to him through radio communication, contact Wonder Woman, J'onn or me. We can sign the information directly to him." Diana visibly agreed to this by nodding her head, J'onn remained stoic but everyone knew he'd help whenever needed. He was a friend of the world.

 _"Batman to Justice League."_ They suddenly heard over their comm-links. _"I require immediate assistance. Oxygen levels are dropping to dangerous levels so I suggest wearing suitable equipment."_ Superman was about to send out a reply to Batman but stopped himself when he caught J'onn's eyes lightening up, reminding them that they couldn't contact him through the comms even though he'd just mentioned it. He saw Diana flying out of the room while Cyborg and Lantern ran out, Flash was already gone. He looked at their Martian friend whose eyes had stopped glowing.

"Batman says the explosion was not a coincidence. He also thinks that the current emergency was planned as well." J'onn told him. Superman frowned in thought at that. Either someone wanted to destroy the Justice League tower, or was out for Batman. After all, both accidents occurred while Batman was alone.

"What exactly was the nature of the emergency this time?" Clark asked.

"The hole tore open." J'onn answered, causing Superman's eyebrows to rise in confusion and surprise.

"The hull was damaged, quick patchwork wouldn't have held for long." Superman looked at the door as he spoke. Batman had entered the room, his shoulders sagging in barely concealed exhaustion. He wasn't even attempting to correct his stance when Superman eyed him critically.

"No, but the fact that the alarms didn't go off and the main unit had been tampered with should be enough cause for concern." Bruce' pronunciation was starting to sound exaggerated with heavy _"t's"_ and harsh _"s's_ " now. Clark could only try and guess how it must be to talk without hearing your own voice. Superman looked thoughtful for a second, but he quickly realized he oughtn't break his head over this. Knowing Batman, he probably already had a couple of suggestions on who'd been messing with the tower.

"Superman?" Wonder Woman's voice cut through the silence born of thought, though that could mostly be considered brooding of one person counting for the initial three occupants of the room.

"Yes?" He asked, turning towards the warm voice of their teammate.

"We need your heat vision if we want it to last longer. Cyborg wants to start on the hull's repairs soon too." She told him. Clark looked at Bruce who was waving a dismissing hand, almost urging him to get out of the room. He looked less than friendly right now, even J'onn seemed to catch up on that. Wherever the bat's thoughts had brought him, they were anything but positive. When were they ever though? Superman left the room, leaving J'onn to be a direct link to Bruce should any of them need to talk to the other.

* * *

 

The room was a mess. Almost everything was scorched black, piled up in a heap like an abandoned waste repository. The only difference was that the repository was the upper level of the watchtower. He felt for Bruce, he was the one paying for everything that broke up there. Literally. Both with his hearing and financially. It wasn't true what they said about rich people, not everyone was corrupt and greedy. Bruce Wayne was the very proof of that. He would give everything away if it meant saving even the most rotten person. Heck, he'd _sell_ everything if it meant saving a life. One life, if Batman could save it. He would. No matter whose. His own life, if Batman could throw it away. He just might. Superman clenched his jaws at the thought. The fool would catch a bullet for the Joker of all people!

"I don't get how this could have given out." He heard Cyborg comment thoughtfully. He was holding a melted object made out of lead, something that had most likely been fastened to the newly repaired hole.

"Batman thinks it was rigged." Superman told him, approaching him. Cyborg looked up with a knowing smile.

"Of course he does. He's paranoid." He said laughing the thought away. Superman frowned, prepared to defend his friend. Everyone knew the dark knight was paranoid, but Batman had the right reasons to be so.

"He _did_ have good arguments." Superman countered. Cyborg just snorted while shaking his head in amusement. "So, where do you want me?" Clark asked, lifting his arms as if presenting himself to the world.

"There are some plates that need to be lasered onto the hull so we can start the actual inside-repairs." As it was, the previous giant hole was half patched up, but new scorch marks had already appeared and Superman could feel the oxygen thinning by the second.

"Check out what's causing it to keep blowing up." Superman said, walking towards the door.

"Already on it, Supes." Cyborg replied behind him. Superman made quick work of getting the plates and getting out into space. It was a slow process, having to hold a plate into place while making sure the others didn't float off during which he had to use his heat vision all at the same time. He was relieved when J'onn showed up with a plate that had drifted off without him knowing.

"Ah, thank you." He thanked with a sheepish grin. J'onn nodded and took the other floating plates. Diana came up from the other side. She was looking over the hull, searching for more abnormalities.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." She told them. Clark was still holding a half lasered plate into place, almost asking her to help him with his eyes. He relaxed when she took over from him so he could continue lasering.

"I think someone is trying to get Batman specifically." Superman said jokingly, voicing his earlier thoughts with more than just amusement. A lot of people were set on destroying the Justice League, Batman having been in the room twice would probably have been a mere coincidence and pure misfortune on the Bat's part. He attracted bad luck like a magnet. Only, he never pried himself away from it. He usually clutched onto it as if it was his fuel, keeping him up in the air so he could swing down with a final strike when he knew it counted.

"When not?" J'onn asked too seriously to be a joke. Superman grimaced, as did Diana. "He is alone right now. If something happened now…" He paused momentarily. "We should keep an eye on him." J'onn was actually serious. Wonder Woman nodded, she was thinking the same.

 _"Green Lantern to team Trinity and J'onn."_ They heard through their communication. Superman held his breath, hoping this was an emergency call and they hadn't jinxed their friend.

 _"Yes, Lantern?"_ Diana answered, still holding the plate firmly in place. Superman quickly, but carefully, lasered it onto the hull. Two more to go. The part that had been damaged most was already covered up.

 _"We found something that might have set the explosion off."_ Lantern stated grimly. The three of them shared glances before Diana's turned into one of concern.

 _"Lantern, get someone to check up on Batman ASAP."_ They had to work fast.

 _"I sent Flash. Why? Did he figure something out?"_ Lantern asked, his tone light with curiosity.

 _"Someone is trying to kill him."_ Superman answered, his eyes shooting laser beams, fastening the third but not last plate.

 _"Someone is always trying to kill the Batman."_ They heard Flash comment. _"Guys, the door won't open."_ He said in a strained voice. They heard a grunt and a yelp accompanied with the sound of someone hitting something. _"Never mind. We should add mattresses to the floors."_ They heard some more shuffling and then silence.

 _"Flash?"_ Lantern asked. The final plate was carefully fit into place by the Amazonian. Superman cursed inwardly, quickly lasering the edges onto the other plates. _"Green Lantern to Flash. Come in."_ Clark had half the heart to tell GL he wasn't speaking on a direct line, but it didn't matter. The frequency of the entire league would still reach the speedster. At least under normal circumstances. Usually, when someone failed to respond. The initial communicator would change the frequency to a direct one on a different, more secure, line. If that didn't work, they would move to their position.

"What was that all about?" Superman asked, looking at Diana who in turn was looking at J'onn in question. Clark turned as well to see the telepath's eyes glowing.

"I think we were right after all." J'onn said, his eyes returned to normal. They wasted no time in getting back inside. "Batman's vitals are dropping and Flash is unconscious." The Martian said before flying through the hull to get there faster. Wonder Woman and Superman flew as fast as they could towards the conference room.

Upon entering, Superman's comm-link started buzzing. He quickly turned it off and walked over to where J'onn sat, kneeling down in a pool of what appeared to be blood. He held back a gasp, hearing someone else doing it for him. Diana rushed up to their Martian friend and the dark figure on the floor. Green Lantern was with Flash who was slowly coming to.

"What happened?" Superman heard the Lantern ask. He decided to concentrate on their conversation while checking up on Batman who remained motionless. There was a huge gash on his stomach, his life's fluid leaking out of him as if he'd been attempted to be butchered like some poor doomed animal. Clark quickly erased the thought. Animals were treated better than this. He looked at his friend's relaxed face, void of any indication of pain. He was clearly unconscious.

"I don't know." Flash answered, taking a minute to gather his thoughts. "The door wouldn't open, when it did, I saw something standing over Batman. I think I startled it." He sounded confused. J'onn stood up with Bruce in his arms while Diana was pressing her hands onto his stomach to try and stop the bleeding, or at least slow it down.

"Why isn't he conscious?" Clark heard himself ask. His question was answered when Bruce' head fell against the Martian's shoulder. He winced, looking at the bleeding headwound that appeared so much worse in contrast to the white hair. The amusing change of hair colour now had him looking at it with scornful disdain. As if it somehow was its fault. He eyed Diana angrily, walking along them towards the med bay. "His cowl would have been able to brace the impact." He said angrily. Diana looked beyond offended at his words.

"Since when did I attack him?" She asked him with an expression matching his.

"You hid his suit." He could sense Flash and Lantern trailing behind them, keeping their tongue.

"Please, stop fighting." J'onn said as they entered the med bay. Superman and Wonder Woman were locked in a staring contest. "I will need more space." J'onn told them, ending their silent battle. Diana sat down in one of the chairs, looking at Flash, daring him to speak. Superman just huffed, eying the sign language book that was still laying on the table he'd put it on earlier. The very book Lantern was also looking at, albeit with more positive interest.

"Flash?" Superman started, suddenly thinking of something. "What happened to the thing that attacked you? Is it still here?" He asked, taking on an urgent posture. Flash looked thoughtful, his gaze faraway but also unwavering from J'onn's back.

"I think I saw it disappear before everything went black." He muttered more to himself. "He just dissipated." He said with surprise as he recalled the memory.

"It could still be here." Diana said, proceeding to stand up.

"No." They turned towards J'onn who was still standing with his back turned towards them. Working on sewing the wound on Batman's stomach. "I did a mental swipe when I saw the state Batman was in. There is no one here but us and Cyborg. Whatever it was. It is gone now." He tied a small knot in the thread and surveyed his work before moving on to Bruce' head.

"The cameras." Lantern said with a smile. He ran up to the door where he hesitated. "Control room JL1.03, is the second monitor room, right?" He asked.

"Yes." J'onn replied absentmindedly. John ran from the room, leaving Flash to look around awkwardly with Wonder Woman and Superman to practically scan him. Speaking of scanning, Superman had probably already done an x-ray on him. His intense gaze should be a dead give-away.

"I'll just get back to Cyborg." Flash said, clearing his throat.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Diana asked. Flash nodded and knocked on his cowl-covered head with a cheerful smile. That didn't sit well with Superman. Superman had gone back to stare angrily at Diana as if remembering the reason he'd been mad at her earlier. She hadn't noticed yet, Superman concluded when he saw her turn from Flash to J'onn.

"How bad is it?" She asked. Clark approached the table to look at the bloody mess of his friend's hair. The blood was mostly cleaned out, but so was the dye. Superman would have to fix that.

"I know what you're thinking without reading your mind, Superman." J'onn suddenly spoke. The Martian was looking at him. "The chemicals of the dye might infect the wound. I'm going to bandage his head, I'll leave the rest of the dye in." He told him. Clark nodded his gratitude. Bruce would have his head if anyone even as much as suggested he was Bruce Wayne. As if it was Superman's job to keep his identity hidden. The thought made him huff out loud, but no one acknowledged it.

"J'onn?" Diana asked, getting J'onn's attention back to her question.

"It shouldn't be that bad, but he already had a concussion. Only time can tell whether this would have caused any lasting damage." Superman had only felt a concussion when he'd been hit with one of Luthor's Kryptonite weapons. It was terrible even though it only lasted a day. Now the Kryptonian was trying to imagine a double concussion. He hadn't even noticed he was grimacing until he caught both Diana and J'onn looking at him in question. He coughed to clear his throat and relax his facial muscles, making them turn away from him.

Only time can tell. And tell it would. Life leading up front, death following, sticking to the shadows of awareness where it looms and waits in patience. Time, a vicious cycle no one can withstand. Shortly after J'onn had put the bandages in place, Superman moved Bruce from the table onto a bed where a grunt was their only response from the otherwise lifeless figure.

Sometime during the night, Bruce had woken up. Both Diana and Superman were still in the room when this happened, but neither was awake. They had fallen into the grip of Morpheus, a god of dreams where they slept peacefully. Because of this, neither noticed bleary blue eyes open. Confusion and disorientation clung to him like a hook caught. It was blissfully dark. The dark seemed to reassure him for he fell into a fitful slumber not long after having woken up. He didn't mind. He liked it. What he didn't like was the aggravating silence. It was almost deafening. His ears felt full and his head was hurting so much. Yet, he fell asleep.

The next time, he woke up to more silence. And light. Lots of light. The moment he managed to open his eyes, he dearly wished he hadn't. He felt movement in his throat while he fought off the onslaught of pain coming directly from his head and his stomach. He felt hands reach up to his head to clutch at it while he moved to lay on his side. He registered two more hands on his back while there was another set of hands, one trying to pry his hands away while the other was resting on his shoulder, gently pushing him back onto his back. He was struggling though. Struggling against the hands and the pain. Good thing there was no sound. He couldn't even try to imagine what it must feel like to have people shouting in one's ears when the world felt like it was attacking his head.

He welcomed the darkness that was slowly creeping up on him. He greeted it like an old friend. He embraced it like a long lost lover. The darkness, his home. His safe haven. He never ran away from problems, but he was human. So he ran. Ran as fast as he could, everything to escape reality for a little while longer. Escape the pain, retreat into the darkness and clamp onto it like a lifeline.


	4. Chapter 4

Superman and Wonder Woman shared glances, they were still holding onto their comrade who'd been trashing about violently just moments ago. Superman had woken up to the sound of distressed moaning which quickly turned into pain-induced groaning. Diana had probably been woken by the same sounds, judging by her fast responses to getting to Bruce' side. He was holding onto his head, clutching it between straining hands, fingers stiff from tensed muscles frozen into a claw-like grip. Bruce had maneuvered himself onto his side where he tried to curl in on himself, but Clark's hands were preventing him from getting there. He was pushing his hands up against his friend's back to keep him from moving too much. He might tear his stitches, Superman thought to himself. Diana's other hand was resting on his shoulder trying to push Bruce back, but the man underneath them was struggling too much. He didn't even seem to be aware of them.

"Bruce, stop fighting us." She told him, momentarily forgetting he probably couldn't hear her. J'onn emerged from a corner in the room, coming to their aid with a syringe in hand. The sedative was strong and fast-working. Bruce calmed down forthwith the moment the syringe was pulled away. 

"He passed out before the sedative started working." J'onn commented quietly. Clark raised his eyebrows in surprise at having his earlier conviction eradicated from his mind. If he didn't already know the answer, he would have asked himself if J'onn wasn't a mind reader. Bruce really must have been in pain for him to react like he did.

"Is he on any pain medication?" Diana asked, voicing the thoughts in his head before he had the time to consider asking the same.

"The sedative I just gave him has a pain reliever. He usually refuses anything that contains tranquilizing or pain relieving countermeasures. I didn't feel like testing him this time, not while he should take it easy instead of fighting me." J'onn admitted with a hint of shame and guilt. Clark had to give it to the Martian though. The poor guy had treated Batman's injuries often, the times he'd seen them arguing in the halls, J'onn insisting he should rest or at least accept a simple aspirin, it brought a sad smile to his lips. He understood where he was coming from, he'd witnessed the cranky bat at both his best and his worst when it came to mood swings regarding the bat's time spend in the medical bay. Diana was fixing J'onn with a glare that could match the batglare, but Clark decided to quickly put an end to it.

"It's okay. He's really _does_ get testy whenever someone does something against his will." Clark started snickering as his words brought on something else in his mind. "He's rich and spoiled, what else can we expect?" He asked light hearted. His initial intention of stopping Diana from glaring daggers at J'onn had failed miserably. Instead, the Amazonian had turned her dagger-throwing eyes towards him. Right. She was a princess and often perceived as spoiled as well, a curse that came with her title. He gulped, swallowing his smile instantaneously. J'onn knew better than to interfere once Wonder Woman got mad. She didn't take lightly to offense.

* * *

 

The room was ice. Not literally of course, but it probably would have been literally if Diana had the power to freeze everything with her eyes. She was livid with everything and everyone. She had even turned off the sound of the heart monitor's beeping. Now on mute, she was glued to the screen in case something happened. Clark was just glad her attention wasn't directed to him. He also didn't feel like telling her that the mute button was just for the constant beeping and that it would still go off in case of emergency. But the monitor was only there to alert them of any significant vital changes. Bruce' heart wasn't suddenly going to give out. Not now. Not as long as there was a stubborn Amazonian and a loving friend with him. Superfriend. Clark corrected himself with a self-satisfied grin. He was paging through the sign language book, taking in as much as he could at superspeed while they waited.

Another half an hour passed when he put the book aside with a yawn. He hadn't slept much and a lot had happened in one day. It was early morning, he dully noted, looking at the clock on the wall. Diana had fallen asleep again in the chair, neither of them had slept all that well. The chairs weren't comfortable and his back was stiff. He stood, stretching his limbs. He went to the heart monitor and turned the sound up again. He could perfectly hear Bruce' heartbeat without the incessant beeping, but the monotonous sound was a comfort in itself. He looked at the bed next to Bruce' and figured it wouldn't hurt to lay down for a while. Clark didn't have to go to work for another couple of days and Superman didn't have any immediate urgent places to be at. So he snuggled up in the white blankets of the medical bed, relishing the sense of security it provided.

It was noon when the sound of tedium beeping got breached by the involuntary rustle of sheets. A breath drawn in a pained gasp followed shortly after, alerting the other occupants of the room in an instant.

"Bruce?" Diana asked. Superman was getting up, seeing Bruce move to sit, mistaking the sudden movement as one of distress. The memory of last night's incident pushed to the foreground. His mind reminding him to go help his friend because he was in pain and Clark didn't want him to be in pain. He didn't want anyone to be in pain. Bruce' eyes locked onto his, they looked clear and coherent enough for him to relax. Superman's hand had unconsciously grasped his shoulder in an attempt to brace him were he to start trashing about again. He saw Bruce' hand coming up to his ear, wordlessly telling them he still couldn't hear them. Blue eyes flickering from him to Diana.

'How are you feeling?' Diana signed when she finally caught his attention. She was smiling at him, her mood had significantly improved after her nap. Clark was very grateful for that indeed.

'My head hurts.' Bruce signed back slowly. Clark nodded in sympathy while Diana stood to get something to help him with the pain. He was working his arms underneath his body now, trying to lift himself off of the mattress. Clark could get a good look at him now as he helped him sit. Bruce looked like a Dalmatian. His hair was mostly white, but black spots were appearing in patches.

'We should redo your hair.' Superman told him, standing so Bruce would look at him. 'The dye got partly rubbed off.' He signed. Bruce looked confused until his expression hardened into one of annoyance.

'Rubbed?' He repeated. 'What did you do while I was asleep? Pet me?' He asked, one of his hand reaching out to take the bottle of water from Diana. She held out two pills, but he waved them away while sipping at the water. Diana wouldn't budge though.

"Superman?" Clark heard from the door. He turned towards the voice to see Cyborg peeking in, not looking at Bruce, just him, respecting Batman's wishes not to be seen without a mask. Knowing he wouldn't be wearing it right now. Clever kid. Clark smiled.

"I'm coming." He answered. Cyborg nodded and left to wait in the hall. Clark looked back to see a frustrated Bruce taking a big gulp from his water and a happy Diana smiling encouragingly. He shook his head and walked out to see what was going on.

"Someone put a frequency blocker in the conference room." Cyborg informed him. He looked thoughtful, his mind going over a list of every criminal he knew who would resort to measures like that. He crossed out a fair few and already had a potential candidate of who could possibly hack into their frequency and build something to block it with. Why block and not destroy or even harm? Superman wondered to himself.

"Any possible matches on fingerprints or traces of where the device might have come from?" Superman asked. Cyborg shook his head tiredly.

"That's Batman's alley." Superman winced at the poor choice of words, but ignored the onslaught of sombre feelings it brought forth. "Besides, I couldn't really get into it. I was working on the hole you created." Cyborg explained. Superman huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Why do I get the feeling everyone is blaming me?" He asked with upraised eyebrows. "I never intended to make it that big." He said with a resigned sigh.

"I know, Superman. I discovered something else." Cyborg said, looking patiently at Superman who moved his hand in a _"speak up"_ gesture. "The explosive got placed around the time Batman left the monitor room and was supposed to be back. It was placed right where you decided to make that hole." Cyborg said. This explained why the wall had been so easy to penetrate. It had already been damaged.

"That explains why I could laser through it so easily." Superman nodded in thought.

"Well, you _are_ the man of steel." Cyborg said as if it explained everything in the world. If he had a _"Because I am Superman"_ catchphrase like Batman, it wouldn't have ended as well for him as it did with Batman. People would taunt him, with Batman, people were scared and never really mocked him when it came down to silliness. Superman just stared at Cyborg for a moment longer before the other broke down in laughter, probably having realized the same thing as him. "Here." He said, giving him a small green-purple device. This basically confirmed his suspicion. He clutched it in his hand, careful not to break it. He thanked Victor with a nod before re-entering the infirmary where he was greeted with the sight of both Diana and Bruce covered in white smears and stains.

'And I'm supposed to be the klutz.' Superman signed, laughing all the while. Bruce was shooting him his best glare, effectively silencing him while Diana went to the sink to clean up. One of Bruce' eyes was covered, forcing him to keep his eye shut or endure the stinging it would cause. Clark retrieved a washcloth and wet it under the running water tab Diana was using. He went to Bruce' side again, moving in to help him, but stopped when the cloth was pulled from his hands. Bruce started cleaning his face thoroughly, rubbing his skin red to make sure the dye got off.

'What did Cyborg say?' He saw Diana sign from behind Bruce. Even though Bruce couldn't see her with his back turned, Diana was still respective of his presence and condition.

'He gave me this, said it was what blocked the comms.' Superman said, holding out the small device. Having seen him sign, Bruce looked at the device in thought.

'We both know who that belongs to.' Bruce signed with a frown. Clark nodded. 'Judging by the colours, the Joker isn't nearly has resolute on trying to kill me without making a big show. Lex Luthor, however.' Bruce signed, confirming Clark's own suspicions.

'Congratulations, Batman.' Clark signed with a smirk. 'We're now sharing Luthor's wrath.' Why though? Why Batman? Luthor held a grudge specially for Superman, what had Batman done to get Luthor on his back?

'I don't want it. You can have it.' Bruce signed as if it was a choice either of them could make. If he could, Superman would gladly lift the extra weight off of Bruce' shoulders.

'No, keep it. I insist.' Superman signed back playfully. Bruce just shook his head, a small smile barely tugging at his lips. Diana moved to stand next to Clark so Bruce could see her.

'This is serious. We have to alert the rest of the league and find Luthor before he attempts anything else.' She said sternly. Bruce seemed to agree and moved to get up, but Diana had her hand already on his shoulder, pushing him down gently but firmly.

'I'm okay.' Bruce signed angrily. His mood had dropped a good couple degrees in a matter of seconds.

'Don't push it, Batman.' Diana was clearly not in the mood to argue.

'Stay around one of us at least.' Clark tried to come to a compromise that would suit everyone or no one. He didn't care what anyone thought, as long as everyone stayed safe.

'He needs to rest.' Diana signed turning to him.

'Luthor only seems to attack when he's alone. He needs protection.' Clark returned.

'He'll be safer in bed.' She moved her hands briskly, her face was set in an angry sneer.

'He'll be in just as much danger here as in the next room.' He told her, keeping his expression from matching hers. In their arguing, they hadn't noticed their subject had escaped. And so, the Batman had disappeared once more. As if having evaporated into thin air, gone efficaciously creating the illusion of possessing the ability to teleport. Wait. Clark ran from the room, running for the boom tubes. No one needed to be a detective to figure out the bat's objective once he was done with something or rather: someone. Someone in the plural form of two people forcing him to obey orders he had neither created nor agreed to. Clark entered the teleportation room where he was just in time to see Batman's dark figure disappear. He sighed in frustration, cursing inwardly at himself and at Bruce.

'What _could_ we expect?" He heard Diana ask from behind him. He ignored her in favour of setting the coordinates to the batcave. The monitor always deleted them after Batman used the boom tubes, Clark was lucky to happen to know them. He had, as if by chance, memorized the coordinates of important locations in case of emergency. Data got lost easily, it was good to have at least a couple of leaguers who knew a couple of coordinates.

"At least Luthor won't be able to get into the batcave, assuming Bruce teleported there." Clark said, stepping onto the platform where he watched the world morph into the darkness. He was in the cave. He could hear the bats, their wings flapping while they squeaked in a way that made Clark wonder if they were possibly trying to warn a certain larger bat of his presence. Said larger bat was currently on hands and knees on the floor in front of him, Superman noted with a start. He crouched down and put his hands underneath Bruce' arms, steadying him before attempting to pull him up.

"Teleportation with a concussion," Bruce muttered, already knowing who was behind him. "never a good idea." He finished with a breathy laugh. Wow, he really must have a bad concussion if he admitted to a mistake. He helped him towards the main area of the cave where he pointed towards another side of the cave. Clark allowed him to guide him, trusting Bruce to know what he was doing. They ended up in another small cave-like room which was actually a hollowed out cave wall where medical equipment was neatly placed along the rounded wall with two beds in the middle. Superman assisted Bruce onto one of the beds.

'Stop being so reckless.' Superman chided with a frown. Bruce just huffed, pressing a button on the table placed next to the bed he was sitting on. It didn't take long for a new voice to accompany the soft shrieking in the cave.

"Good after-noon, master Kent and master Bruce." Alfred greeted formally. No matter how many times he had insisted Alfred should just call him Clark, the stubborn Brit had answered him with a nod and a, _"Very good, master Kent."_ never really trying to break the habit of formality.

"Hello Alfred." Superman greeted cheerily before turning serious. "There was an accident up in the watchtower. Bruce lost his hearing, we're not sure for how long." Clark informed the butler who looked at him with an oddly pleased look.

"Than my sign language lessons won't be in vain after all." He said before turning towards his surrogate son. 'Remember how you thought it was pointless, sir?' Alfred signed, his hands moving in practiced elegancy. Bruce was scowling grumpily at the sassy butler, Clark just enjoyed the show for a little while. 'Has your opinion changed, yet?' Alfred asked with a smile.

'And I thought it was his paranoia that made him learn it.' Clark signed, surprising Alfred momentarily.

'It was my paranoia this time, master Kent.' Alfred signed. Bruce clearly wasn't following their conversation anymore, he'd started swaying in place. Clark steadied him with a hand while pushing him back at the same time. He really needed to lie down. Alfred took out a flashlight to check Bruce' pupil dilation and responses.

"Judging by the bandages and his eyes, a severe concussion." Alfred noted. "Not much we can do about that." He said sadly.

"There's also a cut on his stomach that needs clean bandages." Clark said, studying Bruce' face. He saw a speck of white dye that clung just below his hairline on his temple, it made him smile. It made everything else look so much less serious. Bruce' eyes were closed and his breathing was slowing down, causing Clark to snap back to attention while Alfred worked on getting Bruce out of his shirt.

"My word." He heard Alfred gasp as he unravelled the bandages. Clark shook Bruce' shoulder, trying to rouse him. He could sleep after Clark was sure he wouldn't slip into a coma. Resting and sleeping were two completely different things in his dictionary. Two things Bruce had banned from his. With a few more shakes, Bruce started groaning in agitation. He was muttering in protest, an incoherent _"Staph"_ was clearly heard though. Alfred checked the stitches before rewrapping the wound, asking Clark to help him lift Bruce so he could redo the bandages efficiently.

"Luth'r." Bruce mumbled, his eyes blinking sluggishly up at him. Clark nodded, taking out the device he had put away for later. He held it out for him to take, knowing Bruce would protest if he put it away again. Bruce tried to take it, however, his coordination was off and Clark had to grasp his hand so he could place the device in it.

'Why is he after you?' Clark signed, making sure he was in Bruce' line of sight. A confused pout answered him so he repeated himself, but slower.

"Dunno." Bruce shrugged nonchalantly. Clark shared a worried glance with Alfred. The butler looked as worried as Clark felt, it made his heart ache to see his friend act so uncharacteristic. Especially Batman. He was fumbling with the device, turning it around a couple of times and holding it close to his face so he could look at the tiny buttons. That, or he was just trying to remember what it was and why he was holding it. He sure appeared dazed enough.

'No teleporting for you until you're allowed to, mister.' Clark signed although he knew Bruce' attention was focused on the device. Alfred was smiling at him, clearly amused. Superman turned towards the butler. His concern wiped the butler's smile away as Clark's blue eyes settled on his brown ones. Eyes that held too much unspoken worry and grief.

"Master Kent?" Alfred questioned, pressing for him to speak up.

"I was just thinking." Clark began, he glanced at Bruce who held an almost child-like attitude towards the device in his hand. The other hand rubbing at his left ear unconsciously. Clark took the restless hand in his, trying to calm it down. "I'm concerned about the damage the boom tubes might have caused. Up in the watchtower he was much more," Clark stopped, searching for the right word. "present." He finished, flinching away from the hand that was now trying to attack him. He was still holding on to the other one, it was tugging, trying to escape his grip. Superman let go and stepped back.

"He certainly _is_ acting strange." Alfred agreed thoughtfully. "I'm going to run a blood test, just in case." He told him, heading towards one of the drawers.

"Why? Do you think he was poisoned somehow?" Clark asked, watching as Bruce started to rub his ear again. This time, Clark let him be. Perhaps his hearing was coming back and his confusion was making it too hard for him to understand. He could only hope that was the case.

"His eyes are too hazy and his pupils are blown." Alfred spoke softly. "The lack of response from his pupils could have been caused by the concussion, but he's starting to look like a drunk." He said, uncapping a syringe. A clatter made Clark look over to Bruce who was looking down at the ground with a pout. He certainly looked like he'd drank an entire liquor store. That, or something more serious was going on. Superman picked up the green device, careful of the purple buttons. Bruce followed his every movement, studying him with half-focused eyes. Alfred positioned himself between them, holding up the syringe for Bruce to see. Bruce held out his arm willingly, even through his confused haze did he seem to grasp the direness of the situation.

Drawing the blood didn't take long. The testing took a little longer. Alfred had to test for everything to make sure nothing went unnoticed. Superman was keeping Bruce busy, he was starting to act more and more subdued. At times he didn't even respond to Clark at all. He was starting to become lost in a world only he could see. Plainly put, it was scaring Clark. The good thing was, he was now positive that it was some kind of drug. He'd also figured out it must have been a slow-acting drug that had been on whatever had created the wound on his abdomen.

"Master Kent?" He heard Alfred's worried voice from the main area of the cave. He got up from where he'd sat down next to Bruce and made his way towards the batcomputer.

"Can we cure it?" Superman asked, already knowing Alfred had found something.

"I don't know, sir." He replied honestly. Clark's eyebrows drew together, looking at the monitors, not quite understanding any of what was displayed. "It's a strange mix of Scarecrow's toxin and Joker venom added with a numbing compound." Alfred explained.

"Is it lethal?" Clark asked, dreading the answer, but he needed to know.

"The Scarecrow's toxin is rarely lethal, I'm more concerned about the compounds extracted from the Joker venom." Was that a subtle _"yes"_? Clark wondered to himself. "I think we should give him the antidote to both the toxin and the venom for now." Alfred said, already moving back towards the mini cave-room. Would it really be that simple? Give him two already existing antidotes? Would Luthor really make it this simple?

"What about the numbing compound?" Superman asked. Alfred had already administered one antidote and was working on the second needle, Bruce was awfully compliant.

"My best guess is that it reduces the fear and laughing effects. I wouldn't wish to see those two toxins combined." Alfred stated. Clark nodded in agreement. He really wouldn't wish to see his friend laughing at his own suffering. Luthor either hadn't tested the poison or Batman's equipment really was good at detecting poisons. Either way, Bruce' eyes seemed to clear up not too long after the second shot was administered. Again, Bruce started rubbing at his left ear. Clark took his hand with a stern glare. Bruce looked up at him, mirroring his expression with too much familiarity. Despite the unyielding stare of Batman's piercing gaze, Clark felt himself smiling. This was good. This meant Bruce was going to be okay.

TO BE CONTINUED

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler: It’s not Luthor ;)


	5. Chapter 5

It took another fifteen minutes for Bruce to finally start signing again, explaining the restless rubbing he'd been doing at his left ear. Bruce was annoyed to say the least. He preferred being able to hear, not being able to hear could be dealt with. But now it was plain torture. His left ear had started ringing and he hadn't been able to get it to stop or tune it out yet. It was aggravating and very infuriating. The constant sound of monotonous ringing had him trying to claw his ear off even during his drug-induced stupor. Its incessant sound was driving him up the wall. Now he was trying to meditate. Clear his head and let go of every thought and sound that plagued his anguished soul. He knew Clark was wandering through the cave, he could feel his presence walking around, moving from one place to the next. Alfred was working on the batcomputer, Bruce could sense the computer working. He felt one with the cave, the bats were whispering to him. They reached through to his unhearing ears, telling him stories of dark nights filled with adventures. For a moment, he felt at peace. It was an awfully short moment, Bruce noted with dismay. A very unwelcome tap on his shoulder broke his concentration, causing him to crash down into reality where felt everything overwhelm him once more. The ringing returned full force, making him claw at his ear, wincing at the sudden velocity of the sound. Oh, he definitely preferred the silence. He shot Superman an angry glaring.

'I'm sorry.' He signed sincerely, taking his left hand in his for the third time that day. Batman would have none of it though. He pulled his hand away, letting it rest next to him on the bed he was still sitting on. A new record. He noted to himself bitterly. 'I was actually just wondering if I could contact the watchtower from here.' Superman said, obviously intending on over-staying his welcome. At any rate, Batman thought to himself, make yourself at home.

'Use your commlink, or the batcomputer.' Batman signed back. He finally got up and stretched his aching legs. The room spun, but he fought it off as if it was just any other Gotham villain. He walked up behind Alfred, purposefully making more sound than he usually would. He didn't want to sneak up on him, it didn't feel right. Alfred turned to face him with a small smile.

'Good to see you up, sir. Would you like a cup of tea?' Alfred signed. He got up from Batman's usual chair and gestured towards it. Bruce shook his head, not ready to sit down yet. He needed to stretch his legs a bit more.

'No thank you, but coffee would do wonders about now.' He said truthfully.

'Very good, sir. Would you like a bite to eat as well perhaps?' He asked. Whether Bruce agreed or not, Alfred would prepare something anyway and force it down his throat if he had to, so he just nodded.

"Clark." Bruce called out as he turned back towards the computer. He set up the call for the watchtower for Clark as the Kryptonian approached him. 'Can you give me Luthor's blocking device?' He asked, busying himself on another monitor. Superman laid the green device on the desk in front of him. Batman knew the league could see him from where he sat and he was again glad he couldn't hear. He needn't be involved in conversations he wasn't interested in. Of course he didn't know the nature of Clark's call, but it didn't matter. He would find out anyway given time. And time was what it _didn't_ take. A familiar tap on his shoulder made him turn around to face their team mates on the screen. Diana stepped forward and started signing,

'We checked the entire tower, there's no sign of a breach.' Diana looked well rested while the others looked like they could really use a bed. Flash was fast asleep at the table in the back and no one seemed to even consider waking the speedster up. Had Batman been there, he would have woken him up in a less than friendly manner, indifferent of the long hours they'd been spending on fixing the watchtower.

'Not surprising.' He noted. He swivelled his chair back towards the desk he'd been working on and grabbed Luthor's device. Or not Luthor's. He held it out towards the camera so the league could see what he was holding before putting it down next to him on the table. 'This is too advanced technology, even for Luthor.' He signed, making sure Superman could see it too.

'You don't suspect aliens, do you?' J'onn signed from behind Diana. She saw the movement and made some space for the Martian. Cyborg and Green Lantern were sitting in the back, fighting to stay awake while gaping at the conversation they couldn't follow.

'No, this is human tech.' Batman signed back. A thought came to mind, he wasn't wearing his mask. Cyborg and Lantern were probably sitting too far back to see him clearly, especially with Diana and J'onn in front of the screen. He saw Lantern squinting in the back so he got up to retrieve one of his spare cowls. Diana had hidden his favourite one. It was comfortable and the first one not to dig into his head in some way or another. He held up a cowl, ignoring the eye roll he felt coming from Clark. The bandages still on his head made it a snug fit, but he managed. It was painful and constricting, even worse was the headache he'd been sporting. It was steadily increasing with the added pressure of his cowl. But he dealt with it. This was one of the cowls that didn't have his cape attached to it, one of the prototypes that had failed a test, but it would suffice to protect his identity. White hair hidden, he returned to see Cyborg had dozed off and Lantern was now up closer. His eyes were flitting across the screen in wordless fascination. No doubt intrigued by the small bit he could see from the cave.

'What did I say about the cowl?' Diana signed almost in a motherly fashion. Bruce just folded his arms over his chest, waiting for her to finally accept the fact that he wasn't going to compromise his identity to no one who he didn't deem adequate to know.

'It's more inspiring than frightening.' Bruce answered. He saw Clark laughing in his peripheral vision, but pointedly ignored it. Diana was massaging the bridge of her nose, Bruce could practically feel the frustration radiating off of her. To say he was pleased with himself was putting it lightly, not that he showed it.

'So, do you have another suggestion on who broke into the watchtower?' Superman signed, bringing their conversation back on its original tracks. Bruce shook his head, looking back down at the device.

"It's hard to tell." He muttered, toying with the small machine. Bruce walked out of sight from the camera lens and pulled the cowl off of his head again. The cold air hit him like a crowbar in the head. The wiring of a useless cowl might come in handy after all. Alfred was descending the stairs, a tray in his hands. Bruce was about to move to another working space in the cave, mainly to avoid having to deal with Alfred's stubborn need to tell him he should drink or eat something despite him having asked for coffee himself. Before he had the chance to move away, Alfred was already at his side, coffee steaming and its congenial scent already wafting up to meet him. In spite of his earlier thoughts, Bruce took the cup gladly, abandoning his cowl for a sip of well-prepared caffeine.

'I will bring you something to eat soon.' Alfred informed him. Bruce nodded absently and walked up to one of the tables where he put down his cup so he could start working on the cowl and the device. Getting the wires inside the cowl was tricky, getting them out without accidentally damaging them was just as complicated. It was like walking in a forest where there were no trees, only thorns. Thorns that threatened to tear you apart if you stood still for too long, meaning you had to get moving and be out of there as soon as possible. Only, getting out meant being torn apart. The cowl's lining was almost flawlessly done, he almost felt his heart shatter as he tore it apart. Or was it Batman's heart? He really couldn't tell. Batman cared just as much for the stuff as Bruce' time spent on making sure it would kill neither of them. Killing Bruce in the sense of, giving away his identity. Regarding Batman, it was more the implication of killing him literally if something he depended on was defective. There were no flaws allowed. Even a never used prototype, initially designed to protect his head instead of weighing it down with the added cape, had been worked on carefully. If only Bruce could remember what was wrong with it.

It was a delicate process, but he got the job done even before Alfred returned with food. Clark had been hovering around him, wanting to know what he was doing. Bruce had continued working without so much as an explanation. What he was doing was for him to know, it didn't matter if he explained anything if he had to simplify everything. Superman wasn't stupid, but neither was he the brightest man out there. Poor choice of words, Bruce thought to himself. He was the brightest of them all, however, he wasn't the brainiest. Now that just made him think about Brainiac. He shook his head in an effort to keep his mind from wandering while he picked up the green device he'd initially thought belonged to Luthor. The colours were just a simple trick to keep them on the wrong track for at least a little while. Whoever they were dealing with, they were clever. That ruled out at least ninety percent of people who could have the brain to pull this off.

The possibilities of those who were specially out to get Batman was still a long list. Joker was somewhere on that list, but he only used half of his brain so he could safely rule him out. That still left him with plenty of other people. The thing was, the tech was just too advanced for anyone he knew. Bruce inspected one of the wires he'd nearly managed to set on fire when he'd caused too much friction with the material of the other pieces of the cowl. Had that been the problem? Too inflammable? Each cowl had a different wiring, each were unique which meant he didn't just have the exact same stuff laying around for other cowls, he could easily buy more, but he preferred taking parts from other cowls or batsuits if it meant saving some of the unused equipment. Lucius had shown him how to wire his cowls and suits in case he had to fix something without feeling guilty for making his old friend work more. It wasn't easy, but he'd gotten the hang of it fairly fast.

Taking the wire that'd nearly electrocuted him, he started attaching it to the device after having taken off a hidden latch. During all this, Superman had started watching the process over his shoulder. Bruce felt inclined to mention that the boy scout was exceptionally quiet, but he wouldn't be fooled. For one, he couldn't hear him anyway. Two, when Bruce looked at him to see what kept him from running in restless circles, the invincible man of steel was enjoying a steaming mug of hot chocolate. With whip cream, Bruce felt the need to add.

He hadn't expected a sudden jolt to course through the wire, making him drop the device altogether while also causing him to bump into Superman who happened to be sipping his hot chocolate. It was a chain reaction that ended up with Bruce having an apologizing Superman on his hands and chocolate on his pants.

'I'm so sorry.' Superman signed yet again. 'What are you trying to do anyway?' He asked after Bruce had dismissed him again. He was savouring the thought of a long shower. Heck, he was yearning it. He felt frustrated and a nice shower would definitely do some good right about now.

"This cowl might be able to connect with the blocker and extract useful information." Bruce told him.

'Couldn't you just scan it with one of your other machines?' Clark signed. Alfred appeared seemingly out of nowhere, startling Superman for the second time. "What is up with you two?" Or was that _"too"_? Bruce wondered as he read Clark's lips.

"Scan it?" Bruce asked out loud. "With what?" He asked with a mocking smile. "An all-in-one printer?" He joked. He actually joked. Superman was just staring at him in disbelief.

"I taught him that." He could read from Alfred's lips. The butler really looked delighted with himself and it was making Superman smile. Even Bruce couldn't help but smile at that.

It wasn't often that Alfred used the elevator, but when he did, it was to cart down food that he couldn't carry down using the stairs. The smell of food made his mouth water, but he really didn't feel like eating. Bruce took another sip of his coffee before attempting to connect the wire again. Whether Alfred had seen the wire trying to electrocute him or not, it didn't stop him from pushing it out of his hands to replace it with a plate.

"Thanks." He murmured irritated. He set the plate down and rubbed a hand over his head, momentarily forgetting about the hair dye. His hand came back stained in white, irritating him further. Clark was waving a hand at him, trying to get him to look at him.

'I'm going to live here if it means I get to eat heaven itself every day.' Clark signed. He was sitting at the desk of the batcomputer unbothered by the keyboard and the potential danger of spilling anything on top of it.

'Please don't.' Bruce signed back, his face contorted into a withered yearning of peace and, ironically, quiet. Superman just smirked at him. Sadist.

'How's the ringing?' He asked after a moment's hesitation.

'It's better, less present.' He signed ingenuously at which Clark nodded. He was stuffing his mouth full while Bruce hadn't even taken one bite yet. He contemplated just leaving the food for now, but he wouldn't only have a disappointed butler hovering around him, he'd also have to deal with Superman who'd force-feed him if he had to. Not taking any chances, he started eating.

He wouldn't have heard… no, he _couldn't_ have heard the blaring alarms of the watchtower's security breach. He just sat there, eating quietly while thinking about the device in front of him. Superman had gotten up abruptly, alerting Batman of an emergency. He looked at the main monitor screen and saw the emergency code. This wasn't good. He got up, accidentally taking his plate with him, sending it crashing to the ground where it shattered. He didn't even spare it a glance as he took the cowl closest to him. He ran for one of his batsuits, but Clark stopped him just before he reached it.

'You're staying here.' He signed sternly. Batman clenched his jaw in vexation.

"Think, Clark. If something happens, you won't be able to contact me." He countered. Bruce considered his next words carefully. "You need me." He spoke with steadfast determination. Superman gave him a curt nod and moved out of the way. Time wasted on arguing was valuable time lost. They had to get moving fast. Superman was already getting the teleportation tube ready while he got into the suit.

Teleporting in itself was a complicated matter. The time in between being at one place and at another one in a matter of earthly seconds was an eternity spend in oblivion. It felt like having entered a void where one floated in limbo. There where there was no time, no reality to cling to. Only a black box with no lid. A hand reached out to him, trying to grasp onto him. He felt his own hand extend away from him towards the other hand. A bright blue sleeve was attached to the bodiless phantom his mind had created. A soft flutter. It sounded magical. There was sound in the void of nothingness. Bruce had concluded this before, but to hear it after being deaf for two days straight had him almost in tears of unexplained joy. Before he could truly grasp a conscious thought of what happened during teleporting, he found himself in the teleportation tube where he took on a fighting stance, ready for battle. Superman took flight, trusting Batman to defend himself if he were to be attacked.

Batman's eyes flickered from wall to corner and back again as he left the room. He had to be careful. He'd once been surprised by a sneak attack he hadn't heard, he couldn't allow himself to make the same mistake twice. So he was cautious as he ventured further into the watchtower. The halls were eerily empty, the added silence and the faint whistle of one of his ears ringing only augmented the sense of foreboding tranquillity that had situated itself into the air around him. It was heavy and it was frighteningly menacing. For all he knew, there could be a battle raging on inside one of the rooms and he would never know. So he checked every room. Without warning, a red blur passed him by. Too occupied by checking one of the rooms, he didn't have time to register the blur until it hit him, pushing him away from the doorway and onto the ground. He looked to his right to see Flash lying beside him, slightly dazed from the impact as well.

"You okay?" Batman asked in his usual growl. Flash started talking rapidly, but Batman was too focused on watching their surroundings to make out anything the speedster was saying. Another blur approached them and this time he was prepared. He stood up and stretched out his arm to catch whatever came zipping by. He braced himself to be thrown down again. This was like trying to stop a train, he knew, but whoever this was. It had to stop. Flashed moved in time with him, albeit much faster. His arm never connected with anything as Flash pushed away the blue blur. Superman seemed to appear out of nowhere, hitting a wall next to him as Flash reappeared as well. This was confusing, Bruce noted to himself.

'Sorry.' Superman signed quickly before flying off again.

"Explain." Batman demanded, turning towards Flash.

"Guy with bandages and trench coat." Flash was carefully mouthing the words, not only succeeding in making himself look ridiculous, he was also making it harder for Bruce to understand. He was also making wild gestures with his hands as if it would make it any easier. He was deaf, not stupid.

"Speak normal. I can understand just fine." Batman's growl had taken on a dangerous tone as he processed the bits of information he'd received. He could already guess who they were dealing with. "How'd he look like?" He asked, just to be sure.

"His head is all covered in bandages and he-…" Flash was cut off by Batman's stern glare and hand.

"Hush." He said, a low animalistic snarl caught in his throat. His lips curled downwards in a frown at the memory of the feeling of his head connecting with Gotham's unforgiving streets. A particular street filled with the lowlife creatures that crawled through the alleys, planning out his death. His skull cracking, his awareness still there, unable to move. His rescuer, Huntress. His life's saviour, Alfred. His clandestine oppressor and childhood friend, Thomas Elliot.

"O…okay." Flash seemed to stammer, looking incredulously at him.

"No, Hush. Not h-…" He gave up with a frown. He pointed in the direction where Superman had flown to only moments ago.

"The conference room." Flash told him before speeding off in that direction as well. Batman followed him, not as fast but he came pretty close to inhuman speed.

There, in the midst of it all stood Hush. Two guns loaded and pointed towards him. His teammates lay scattered through the room. How? Flash stood next to him at a safe distance. A green hue cast the room in a disconcerting manner, alerting Bruce of the presence of Kryptonite. How Hush even knew of its existence was beyond him. Unless he'd worked together with Luthor after all. He decided to voice his suspicions against his better judgement. He really didn't like assuming things without solid proof.

"Are you working with Luthor?" Batman asked. Hush' mouth was barely visible, but from what he could see, it didn't look like he'd guessed right. Wonder Woman started stirring, but Hush took no notice of this so Batman decided to keep the conversation going for as long as it took her to get to her feet.

"No." Hush replied, a wicked smile on his lips. Flash held a calculating expression, Batman noted.

"Then who?" Batman asked. "You didn't do this by yourself. It's not your style, too noisy." He growled out. Wonder Woman was getting to her feet now, quietly observing  her surroundings.

"Noisy?" Hush started laughing until his shoulders shook from the sheer force of it. "I know what happened. I don't believe you hear a single thing, Batman." He said too confident for Batman's likening.

" _Who_ are you working with?" He repeated through grit teeth. Hush' shoulders sagged while he lowered his head in an attempt to appear imposing. It was failing.

"Someone who might be as close to you as I am." He told him. It was hard to read his lips while concealed by the shadows of his lowered head. "Owlman." He said, lifting his head up once more, making sure he could read his lips as he spoke. He should have known. His anti-matter brother who was a part of the anti-matter Justice League called the Crime Syndicate. He had both the intelligence and material to create a device that could go undetected.

"He's my opposite." Batman said. Wonder Woman and Flash were just listening now. GL and Cyborg were slowly stirring back to consciousness as well.

"Exactly." Hush said. He took a step forward, pointing a gun towards Flash. "I know your secret, _Batman_." He spat his name as if it was poison. "Defeating you once and for all will rid me of Bruce Wayne as well. Your precious buddy." He said with a sinister smile. Batman just glared, standing motionless while Hush advanced on him, his pace a slow threatening momentum of time wasted.

He refused to be the first one to attack, he was waiting. No. He was _having faith_ , not in a faceless entity, but rather his teammates. His friends. Hush seemed to be stalling as well, but it didn't matter. Even if Owlman joined him, they were still outnumbered. Everyone had come to by now, only Superman remained unmoving, the Kryptonite doing nothing to help. He was glad to see Cyborg moving towards the source of the green hue, it meant he could end this senseless banter soon.

"Do they know?" Hush asked. Unable to hear made Batman only able to guess what he sounded like. Judging from the posture he'd taken on and the widening of Hush' eyes, he could only assume he'd used an over dramatic voice, raising it in question to mock him. "Your precious secret. The one hidden in plain sight." His head had lowered again, giving Batman the impression of bitterness. It was taking most of his concentration, trying to read the man's lips by looking at the movement of the bandages surrounding his mouth.

"It doesn't matter." Bruce said. Batman jumped back suddenly, allowing Wonder Woman to throw her lasso while Cyborg threw the Kryptonite towards him. He caught it and put it in a lead-lined compartment on his belt. It would still take Superman too long to be able to actually help, but they could handle it. In fact, Batman still had a trick up his sleeve.

Wonder Woman's lasso started glowing as she talked to him while tugging at the magic-enhanced weapon. Green Lantern copied her by creating a green lasso of his own. He hovered above them, keeping a tight grip.

'He used a teleportation tube similar to ours to get here.' Diana signed with the lasso still in her hand. 'He knew about earth 2 and reached out to Owlman, first to figure out your identity, later to get him to help him.' She continued. She turned back to Hush who was attempting to free his hands, but the lassos weren't giving him any slack. His hands were pressed against his sides, making his guns useless. He saw Diana ask something, but couldn't quite make it out. Her eyes grew in surprise at Hush' answer, as did the rest of the league who were listening along. Cyborg was looking at him in fascination, making him wonder what Hush had said. 'Do you have that green device?' Diana asked, her eyes holding hope and joy. The moment he nodded, her face lit up.

Superman was getting up slowly, his eyes fixed on Hush' form.

"Can I?" he asked, gesturing towards Hush. His articulation was nearly perfect, Bruce had deduced this before. But to see it after Flash' rapid rambling earlier and concentrating on Hush' barely visible mouth, it made Clark look like the master of perfect speech. Diana let go of the glowing rope while Green Lantern's lasso dissipated. As if competing for a title neither Superman nor Flash could win, he was off before anyone realized what had happened.

"What did Hush say?" Batman asked. Superman had covered up his anger behind a bitter smile, but it fooled no one. He was going to beat the living hell out of Hush. Diana walked up to him with a smile.

'I'll show you.' She signed. 'Can you give me the device?' She asked. Bruce had put it in his belt in case he could question its workings. 'Prepare yourself.' She warned when she saw him reach for his belt. He pulled it out cautiously. He was under the impression it was going to blow up, but her smile belied this presumption. He handed it over, only to see it be crushed between her fingers. As if a spell was lifted, his head grew heavier and his ears felt like they were being bombarded. Sound came rushing back to him all at once. The beating of his heart strong in his ears, the low hum of the tower, Diana's breathing. He could hear it all. He resisted the urge to clutch at his ears in pain when he dared to speak again.

"That's-…" He stopped, wincing at the volume of his own voice. He continued much quieter and could only hope Diana would be able to hear him. "That's a neat device." His voice was practically a whisper.

"Its purpose was to cancel sound." Diana spoke softly. "It messed with the commlinks and your hearing." She told him. Bruce' mind started reeling, thinking about the explosion. He had hit his head hard enough to have blacked out before J'onn had arrived. There had been plenty of time to set things up during that period of confusion. But it still didn't make sense.

"That _really_ is an interesting device." He said thoughtfully. He would love to mention it to Lucius when he got the chance, see if he could help him make something similar.

Four minutes later, Superman entered the conference room. He was floating in while dragging Hush by his trench coat.

"Where do you want him?" Superman asked, his voice too loud in Bruce' ears even if he was starting to get used to it again.

"Anywhere is fine." He said, approaching them. Clark was smiling at him as he lowered himself back to the ground. Bruce just nodded, hoping he understood that he could hear just fine again.

"It…doesn't…matter." Hush said quietly in between breaths. Batman glowered at him, his cowl hiding the disgust in his eyes. "You said…it…yourself." He was unwrapping the bandages around his head, revealing his bloodied face. Bruce had already seen the man underneath the bandages, not Thomas Elliot, but the monster Tommy had left behind.

"I did. Yet you still don't know who I am whether you claim to know my secret or not." Batman said, no hesitance in his speech as he listened to his own voice echoing through his ears. The echoes no longer having to be reduced to a quiet hush, the irony of that was just too great.

" _Does_ it matter?" Hush asked with vehemence. Bruce looked up at the rest of the league, they were watching him, studying him.

"No. It doesn't." With that, Bruce pulled his cowl off. The bandages wrapped around his head were pulled off along with the cowl, revealing his dyed hair and the black splotches where there was no dye anymore. He heard Hush snort.

"White doesn't suit you." He said. Superman stepped in and knocked him out with a precise jab on the back of his head. Bruce wanted to look his team in the eye. He shouldn't have waited this long. He should have trusted them with his identity, but now was as good as ever. He looked at the three who weren't already aware of the man underneath the mask. They failed to hold back a collective gasp as they looked him in the eye. Green Lantern suddenly started laughing.

"That's Bruce Wayne! I told you he has black hair!" John laughed, jabbing Cyborg in the arm much like the latter had done the other day.

"I was going for something less obvious." Cyborg muttered sourly. So they _did_ bet on his hair after all. Bruce felt a hand on his shoulder, having felt it often lately, he looked over at Clark who was smiling at their teammates.

"You did good." Superman told him. Bruce nodded, allowing himself to smile as Cyborg tried to draw a tie with the argument that Bruce' hair currently wasn't Black. This bickering kept going for a little while longer, but was ended quickly when he finally washed the dye out.

THE END

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stupid ending, I know. Don't kill me though ^^'
> 
> Reference: Batman: Hush [comic] (Skull fracture)


End file.
